Couple charged after girl dies from drinking soda

[jsr]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GRAPE_DRINK_DEATH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-02-06-14-07-50

Feb 6, 2:07 PM EST
Couple charged after girl dies from drinking soda

SURGIONSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- An East Tennessee couple is charged with murder in the death of the man's 5-year-old daughter after an autopsy revealed the girl died from being forced to drink nearly more than 2 liters of grape soda and water.

According to the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office and the autopsy report, Alexa Linboom was brought in to the emergency room on Jan. 1, 2012, by her father, Randall Vaughn, and his wife, Mary Vaughn.

The girl was blue and not responding. She had severe brain damage. An investigation revealed the girl had been forced to drink the water and soda over a one to two hours as punishment. The massive intake of fluid caused her brain to swell and herniate.

The couple is being held at the Hawkins County Jail on a $500,000 bond each.

[Dorian Gray]

1. What the hell?

Why?

[jsr]

2. Because she was caught taking a sip:

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9072906/parents-charged-with-murder-in-2012-death-of-5-year-old

In January of 2012 the child was reportedly told not to consume any soda that belonged to her stepmother, Mary Lavonne Vaughn. When the girl was caught taking a drink, according to the Times-News source, she was forced by her stepmother and father, Randall Lee Vaughn, to consume an entire two-liter as punishment.

Alex was air lifted that day to Niswonger Children's Hospital in Johnson City, where she passed away two days later.

According to Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson, a two year investigation into the child's death determined that she died from acute fluid/water intoxication, causing hyponatremic encephalopathy. That occurs when sodium levels drop excessively low, allowing excess water to enter brain cells and cause swelling.

On Wednesday Randall Lee Vaughn and Mary Lavonne Vaughn were arrested. They both faces charges of first-degree murder, two counts each of aggravated child neglect and aggravated child abuse.

[1000words]

4. A variation on the getting caught smoking

Lock these fools up for a long time. Five fucking years old.

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. ...

[Dorian Gray]

12. That poor little girl

So sad and terrible.

[sakabatou]

16. WTF?!

[malaise]

19. Throw away the fugging keys

I'm so tired of ignorance, it hurts.

[abelenkpe]

26. It took two years to arrest them for murdering their daughter?

[Lost_Count]

27. I'm surprised they went with 1st degree...

[kcr]

3. Torture punishment is a trend in rightwing circles

Hot saucing, cold showers, excessive exercise, whipping with plumbing supply line. I'd be willing to bet they got inspiration from a book or a blog advocating this. The more creative the torture the better.

[Enrique]

6. there's some chance these people don't read books

nor blogs.

[ck4829]

14. There is that one book linked to several cases of murder by parents through punishment

"To Train Up a Child" AKA the Mein Kampf of parenting books (Thanks RationalWiki).

[msanthrope]

10. According to the link, they liked using toture punishment on the other kids, too. nt

[Dorian Gray]

13. It's disgusting.

Poor kids.

[kcr]

22. Ugh. They sure did. The link didn't have that when I read but it's since updated.

I don't know how parents can do that to their own children. I don't get it.

[Orsino]

11. As is ignorance of basic science and medicine. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

7. Hyponatremia. That's a pretty awful punishment--but a lot of people don't realize

that you CAN drink too much water or other fluids. They probably thought they'd make her drink it until she got nauseous and learned her lesson (like forcing kids to smoke cigarettes until they're sick, another punishment I've heard of), not realizing it causes seizures and brain swelling. That doesn't make it OK, of course--it's downright sadistic.

[kcr]

8. They probably didn't. Their failure to get her immediate medical attention

when she became seriously ill as a result is what is going to doom them.

[1000words]

9. Yup ... reminds me of the contest a radio station had

It involved drinking large amounts of water over a short period of time. I believe it killed someone. The organizer of the event had no idea of the danger.

As to the story at hand, these "parents" could have simply said: "No soda for a week."

[Timez Squarez]

29. Wee for Nintendo Wii

I remember that story.

She died of electrolysis imbalance from the excess amount of water.

[LeftyMom]

30. They did know. They got at least one call from a nurse, warning them.

[1000words]

31. Really? I didn't know that ...

Was the station held liable?

[LeftyMom]

33. Yep. Everybody involved got canned and the family got millions.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jury-rules-radio-station-jennifer-strange-water-drinking/story?id=8970712

[1000words]

34. Thanks

[LeftyMom]

35. No problem. Local story so I heard the details and follow-up.

[Barack_America]

25. They obviously didn't think it would be good or enjoyable for her.

They meant to hurt her and they did, the mechanism by which she died is not really relevant. She could have just as easily died from gastric rupture, which is a much more intuitive consequence of consuming that volume of fluid in a short period of time.

[LeftofObama]

15. That poor baby!

"Outside of the bathtub, she tried to eat oatmeal with assistance then started clenching her hands." She arrived at the hospital about 2 to 3 hours later.

"Caretakers told hospital staff that during the ride to the hospital, she sat up in the vehicle and played patty cake," according to the autopsy.

She was transported by air to a regional hospital where she was pronounced brain dead two days later.

[lpbk2713]

17. I suspect jail time won't be a lot of fun for these two.

It usually doesn't work out that
way when kids are harmed.

[LAGC]

18. Yep.

Even "wife-beaters" (domestic violence charges) are having a rough time in jail/prison general population these days...

[Skittles]

21. I read the reason why that is

many guys in jail often feel very bad about not being able to protect their wife & children from harm - so when they encounter someone who harms women and children they feel absolute rage

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. Plus a lot of prisoners are themselves survivors of child abuse

either physical or sexual.

That's why they have so much trouble with anger control and/or addiction.

[Cha]

23. Oh No.. do they have to look

like they're from central casting for cruel child abusers?!

Poor little girl. RIP Alexa

[TeeYiYi]

28. Ew. ..nt

TYY

[pipi_k]

20. Another incident

which causes me to believe that people should NOT have the "right" to breed.

[Jamastiene]

24. More "spare the rod, spoil the child" nonsense kills another kid.

In East Rockingham, near where I live, a few years ago, a kid died because he was made to sleep in a dog house on a 32 degree night simply because he wet the bed. People have been killing kids using that bullshit excuse "spare the rod..." for ages now. It needs to stop. Anytime a parent utters that phrase, CPS should immediately take the kids away, because it means the parents believe in torturing their kids and could possibly kill the kids in the process. This type of needless bullshit needs to end, pronto.

[TeeYiYi]

32. Always the adopted child...

These people are sick!

Here's an almost identical case in Utah where the parents killed their 4 year old adopted daughter with water. The 'mom' ended up serving 6 years. It could have been life behind bars and I wouldn't have shed tear:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/07/ctv.death.by.water/

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53270884-78/killpack-prison-woman-daughter.html.csp

TYY

[Paulie]

36. .

[Sissyk]

37. That poor little girl!

I can only imagine the pain and hurt that poor child went through. Lock them up and throw away the key. There is no redemption for those two parents.

I can tell you though. That community they live in? They better hope they don't get out on bail.

[valerief]

38. When those parents are imprisoned, they s/b spayed and neutered. nt